Idiom Advantage: Fluency In Speaking And Listening Book

Description: Increase your students' fluency of English through mastery of common American idioms. The Idiom Advantage: Fluency in Speaking and Listening, by Dana Watkins, offers a wide variety of interactive activities that provide students with opportunities to hear, read, and produce idioms in interesting and engaging ways. *Idioms are contextualized in narratives, interviews, news reports, radio programs, and conversations for both reading and listening. *Controlled listening and writing activities help students understand meaning and structure. *Authentic magazine and newspaper advertisements present the idioms in clever and memorable ways to broaden students' understanding. *Students practice using idioms in role play, debate, oral presentation, group discussion, and writing. Contents: 1 NEGOTIATION black and white / no ifs, ands, or buts / rule out / have it both ways / up in the air / pros and cons / fine line / not see the forest for the trees / see something in a whole new light / right under one's nose / change one's tune / make a plug 2 ROMANCE head over heels in love / stars in one's eyes / put someone on a pedestal / feel ten feet tall / look like a million bucks / promise the moon / lay it on thick / breathing room / no strings attached / know where one stands / get something / someone off one's mind / give someone a ring 3 PROBLEM SOLVING open a can of worms / blow it / in over one's head / keep a level head / cut corners / slip one's mind / till the cows come home / throw in the towel / right around the corner / cross that bridge when one comes to it / get something off the ground / off the top of one's head / odds are 4 MAKING AN IMPRESSION make a mark / take center stage / hands down / have a corner on something / strike a chord / feather in one's cap / ahead of one's time / bring to one's feet / put one's name on the line / raise eyebrows / off the beaten path / warm up to / hand over fist / flash in the pan 5 FACING DEFEAT uphill battle / not have a prayer / bite off more than one can chew / slip through one's fingers / too close for comfort / sitting duck / wipe out / stop something in its tracks / take it out on someone / bring to one's knees / miss the boat / save face 6 EFFORT put one's best foot forward / make a splash / have an edge / get a leg up on someone / bend over backwards / stick one's neck out / go to great lengths / go to the ends of the earth / on the go / take something in stride / toe the line / have a good head on one's shoulders / let someone down 7 AMBITION corporate ladder / fast track / top banana / call the shots / take the heat / keep up with the times / make something fly / have a nose for something / mean business / feather one's nest / nest egg / follow in someone's footsteps / open doors 8 LEISURE take it easy / live it up / have a blast / paint the town red / make one's day / catch one's eye / take one's breath away / top-of-the-line / dressed to kill / keep up with the Joneses / beneath one / at one's feet / on the house 9 ARGUING make mountains out of molehills / get a rise out of someone / drive someone crazy / cheap shot / show one's true colors / mean beans / take a hike / four-letter words / couldn't care less / cut it out / give someone a break / clear the air 10 MONEY doesn't grow on trees / in the red / in the black / stretched too thin / cost (or charge) an arm and a leg / take someone to the cleaners / for a song / bounce a check / cough up / hang on / live within one's means / search high and low / get one's hands on something / stay put 11 GOSSIP drop in / stay in touch / come alive / keep something bottled up / floor someone / make waves / out of this world / get the picture / the last word / travel in the wrong circles / fair-weather friend / egg on one's face 12 ACHIEVING SUCCESS get rolling / get one's gears turning / learn the ropes / no sweat / go by the book / to the letter / worth one's salt / stack up / snowed under / give someone the runaround / middle-of-the road / go belly-up APPENDIXES Glossary Tapescript and Answer Key Features Idioms are contextualized in narratives, interviews, news reports, radio programs, and conversations. Controlled listening and writing activities help students understand meaning and structure. Authentic magazine and newspaper advertisements present the idioms in clear and memorable ways. Students practice using idioms in role play, debate, oral presentation, group discussion, and writing. A tapescript and complete glossary are included in the back of the book.